Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2018 | 10(9): 12277–12279
Animal-fungal
interactions 2: first report of mycophagy by the Eastern European Hedgehog Erinaceus concolor Martin, 1837 (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae)
Todd F. Elliott 1, James M. Trappe 2 & Aziz Türkoğlu 3
1 Ecosystem Management, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
2 Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State
University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
2 U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, Forestry Sciences
Laboratory Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
3 School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, Box 35 2100,
University of Washington Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA
1 toddfelliott@gmail.com (corresponding author), 2 trappej@gmail.com,
3 azizturk@uw.edu
doi: http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4350.10.9.12277-12279
Editor: Jamie Wood, Landcare
Research, Lincoln, New Zealand. Date of publication: 26 August 2018
(online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms # 4350
| Received 21 June 2018 | Finally accepted 25 July 2018
Citation: Elliott, T.F., J.M. Trappe & A. Turkoglu (2018). Animal-fungal interactions 2: first report of mycophagy by the Eastern European Hedgehog Erinaceus concolor Martin,
1837 (Mammalia: Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae). Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(9):
12277–12279; http://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4350.10.9.12277-12279
Copyright: © Elliott et al. 2018. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and
the source of publication.
Funding: The Scientific
and Technological Research
Council of Turkey, project number T-BAG-111T530.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: Funding from The Scientific and Technological Research
Council of Turkey, project number T-BAG-111T530, enabled the fieldwork. We are grateful to Pouri
Rakete-Stones for collecting scats from New Zealand
populations of hedgehogs. We appreciate
input from Allein Stanley of the Schiele
Museum, Bob and Babs Strickland of Walnut Creek
Preserve, Andrew Claridge of New South Wales Office
of Environment and Heritate, and Karl Vernes, University of New England, New South Wales. We appreciate the help of Şerife
Çaka, Mehrican Yaratanakul Güngör, and Cansu Korkmaz in specimen
processing and operation of the microscope lab.
The fungal species frequently eaten by small mammals
often fruit below ground (hypogeous fungi) and have
evolved a dependence on animals for their spore dispersal (Maser et al. 1978,
2008; Cazares & Trappe 1994; Trappe & Claridge 2005; Vernes & Dunn
2009; Elliott & Trappe 2018). The
digging required to excavate these fungi enhances soil
aeration and allows for better water penetration and soil hydration (Flemming et al. 2013).
Most fungi consumed by animals are mycorrhizal
and serve important functions as symbionts in soil
nutrient acquisition and exchanges with plants (Maser et al. 1978; Colgan & Claridge 2002; Schickmann et al. 2012).
Many small mammals depend on hypogeous fungi
as a staple food, and numerous larger animals opportunistically feed on them (Fogel & Trappe 1978; Claridge
& Trappe 2005).
Fungi contain important dietary components such as
water, essential amino acids, protein, fat, carbohydrates, and crude fiber (Hussain & Al-Ruqaie 1999; Claridge &
Trappe 2005; Wallis et al. 2012). Fungi
appear in a wide array of animals’ diets around the world (Fogel
& Trappe 1978; Blaschke & Bäumler
1989; Claridge & May 1994; Hanson et al. 2003; Schickmann et al. 2012).
Despite the prevalence and importance of fungi as animal food, mycophagy has been understudied/unreported even among
otherwise well-researched animal species.
For example, we provide the first confirmed documentation of mycophagy by Erinaceus concolor (Martin), the Eastern European Hedgehog. This small mammal has been frequently
reported to eat insects, snakes, and plant matter (Özen
2006). Naem et
al. (2015) note that “…mushrooms may supplement the diet” of the West European
Hedgehog, E. europaeus (L.); but their
evidence for this statement is unclear and the species of mushrooms are not
indicated. New Zealand has a diversity
of hypogeous fungi and a large population of invasive
hedgehogs, E. europaeus, that likely consume
local fungi, but this has yet to be confirmed (Wood et al. 2015). As part of this study we conducted
microscopic examinations of 30 scats collected from E. europaeus
in New Zealand and we found no fungal spores. These scats were collected
by collaborators and we were unable to determine if many fungi were
fruiting during the sampling period.
Santana et al. (2010) mention African Four-toed
Hedgehogs, Atelerix albiventris
(Wagner), eating fungi, but it was not recorded how this or the species of
fungus consumed was determined. Skinner
& Chimimba (2005) mention fungi in the diet of
the southern African Hedgehog A. frontalis (A.
Smith), but we were unable to determine the original source of their report,
and they do not indicate the identity of the fungi consumed. Members of the hedgehog genera Hemiechinus, Mesechinus,
and Paraechinus have either had inadequate
seasonal dietary studies or insufficient microscopic examination of fecal or stomach samples to determine their mycophagist status.
During mycological fieldwork in March and April 2014
in Muğla-Ula, Turkey, we encountered an Eastern
European Hedgehog. Erinaceus concolor (Image 1a) crossing the road in a plantation of
Umbrella Pine Pinus pinea
(L.). The understory was
predominantly Kermes Oak Quercus coccifera (L.), and Cistus
spp. accompanied by a diverse ectomycorrhizal fungal
community. Our interest in mycophagy and hypogeous fungal
spore dispersal led us to wait and collect a fecal
sample from the animal. The fecal sample we collected was dried and once at the
laboratory, several small pieces were placed with forceps into drops of ethanol
on microscope slides. After several
minutes the ethanol evaporated and the structures softened. Then water and a cover slip were added and
the slide studied with a binocular compound microscope at × 100, × 400, and ×
1000 magnification. Additional slides
were mounted in Meltzer’s reagent to test for taxonomically diagnostic staining
reactions of fungal structures; all tests were nonresponsive. Micrographs were taken in water. Percentage volume of fungal material in the
slide mounts was estimated by visual scanning.
To increase sample size we attempted to find additional individuals to
collect scats by
spotlighting, but the thick understory and brief time at the site prevented
success.
Pieces of fungal tissue and masses of spores composed
at least 90% of the Turkish fecal sample. The fungal tissues were characteristic of the
false truffle genus Rhizopogon (Image
1b). Fungal surveys in the area where
the E. concolor was found revealed prolific fruitings of Rhizopogon
vulgaris (Image 1b).
This observation provides strong evidence of gaps in
our understanding of the dietary behavior of this and
other species of hedgehogs.
Historically, the use and importance of fungi has been frequently
overlooked in animal dietary studies, and that is likely true for
hedgehogs. We had one fecal sample from one individual, insufficient for broad
conclusions on behavior and dietary preferences of E.
concolor or related species, but the large
volumes of spores and chunks of fungal tissue in the sample examined (Image 1 c,d) indicate preferential or
opportunistic consumption of Rhizopogon
vulgaris over other food sources.
Our estimate of 90% fungus by volume in the scat sampled shows that
Eastern European Hedgehogs are opportunistic or possibly preferential mycophagists and we encourage researchers working on this
and other species of hedgehogs to apply similar methods to test that
hypothesis.
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